Episode 18 - PTSD support dogs, hero Chihuahuas and more

The Dog News Show

We all know that dogs have a beneficial affect on us, but in episode 18 of The Dog News Show Debbie has a story of a dog who is helping a veteran with post traumatic stress syndrome. Raymond Galmiche had two deployments in Vietnam and has since suffered night time terrors and daytime flashbacks. Now thanks to a German Shepherd Dog called Dazzle, Galmiche is feeling better and finding some peace. The dog was supplied by James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, Florida and is part of a study into whether PTSD sufferers could benefit from a canine assistance dog.
From a GSD helping an ex-serviceman to the story of a Chihuahua who became the heroine of a neighbourhood search and rescue operation. Julie has the story of three young girls who went missing with their dog in a wood in Georgia, USA. Friends and neighbours rallied round to look for them, however, it was a tiny three year old dog called Bell who picked up the children's scent and led her owner straight to them. Fortunately the girls had been pulled into the woods by their own dog, and had been unable to find their way home, which highlights the dangers of letting children and dogs wander off unsupervised.
Two shocking and distressing stories emerged from Derbyshire in the UK recently. In one, a young mother was dragging her puppy along the road so harshly the young dog was bleeding and injured. The RSPCA is seeking to ban Rachel Taylor from pet ownership for the rest of her life - although Taylor believes her veterinarian will defend her. In the second story from Derbyshire Shane Potts abandoned his house to move in with his mother, but left his two Jack Russell Terriers alone in the house. The two dogs were without food and water and when one died, the surviving dog ate her to avoid starving himself. Rachel Taylor's case continues in three weeks, Shane Potts will be sentenced for two charges of causing unnecessary suffering later this month.
COuncil officials in Nottingham are trying to highlight to dog owners the dangers of blue-green algae. This can grow in stagnant water in summer months, and while it can cause illness in humans it can be fatal to dogs. Between 2008 and 2010, ten dogs in Nottinghamshire died after coming into toxins from the algae, and this is a problem that affects not just the whole of the UK but many countries worldwide. Blue-green algae kills dogs fast, so take it seriously and keep your dog away from it.
Sadly dog meat is still on the menu in Vietnam, despite the fact that many people are coming to love dogs and appreciate what devoted companions they make. Pet dogs are sometime stolen to supply the dog meat trade, particularly in rural Vietnam, but the tide of public opinion is turning, so will this vile practice of eating dog flesh continue much longer. We can only hope not, and it does seem that particularly among younger people, eating dogs is becoming unacceptable.
In Schmaltz Corner we end the show with a story to send you away smiling. When State Senator Rich Alloway spotted a lifeless dog in her owner's arms at the beach in Maryland he knew he must take action. Rich's wife Shannon was the person he turned to and she definitely became the heroine of the hour, immediately applying mouth-to-snout resuscitation. So the only question left to answer is did Debbie stomp on Julie's happy-ever-after story? - listen and find out.